Strengths [of Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health in Warren]-Everyone is extremely helpful, knowledgeable and compassionate. Weaknesses-You will always have to leave a message for one of the nurses, which can make people nervous if they want to talk to someone right away, but they will always call you back the same day, which was reassuring.

Strengths-Everyone is extremely helpful, knowledgeable and compassionate.
Weaknesses-You will always have to leave a message for one of the nurses, which can make people nervous if they want to talk to someone right away, but they will always call you back the same day, which was reassuring.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

The care that I received from Dr. Kowalczyk and her staff was amazing. I developed real relationships with her nurses and staff. They were always available for any questions that I had and always called me back promptly. I felt as thought I was fully informed on my treatment options and what expectations I should have.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

The nursing staff was amazing, if it wasn't for them, none of this would be possible. The nurse that I ended up talking with the most was Barbara. She was so helpful through this entire process, always calling me back and answering all of my questions. She became like a friend to me, who I could depend on and who knew exactly what I was going through. When I finally became pregnant all the nurses that I had contact with were so happy for me. The last time I talked to Barbara it was such a bittersweet moment that I cried. We had been through so much together and she was so happy for me.

What specific things went wrong at this clinic?

Canceled a cycle due to clinic error

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

We met with Dr. Kowalczyk numerous times throughout our time spent being treated at her clinic. She was very straightforward with what was going on with our inability to conceive and what she thought our best course of action was. She was very sympathetic to what we were going through and I truly felt as if she wanted the best for us.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carole Kowalczyk?

Listen to the expertise and advice that you are being given. When I was going through my first IVF cycle I was at a high risk for over stimulation and Dr. Kowalczyk did not feel comfortable proceeding with the embryo transfer after the egg retrieval due to the medical risks. We opted for a frozen transfer next cycle that would be risk free for me and our potential child.

Describe the protocols Carole Kowalczyk used in your cycles and their degree of success.

After going through numerous testing, I was told that I had a thyroid condition and that the shape of my husband's sperm was off, which could make it hard to fertilize my eggs. I was put on medication and told to eat a low carb diet. We were instructed to try IUI's first, it was possible that his sperm just needed a couple more targets in order for us to become pregnant.
1.) IUI's-I was first put on clomid, which ended up making the lining of my uterus thin even though I ovulated 5 eggs. Pregnancy test negative.
2.) The next two IUI's- I was put on letrozole, which unfortunately did not trigger the release of more then one egg in each cycle. Negative pregnancy test.
The doctor only wanted to perform 3 IUI's before moving onto another treatment. We were given the option of IVF or other stimulation drugs to be used with IUI. The only problem with not doing IVF was that the other treatments were unpredictable and could result in high order multiples. She was concerned because I am very small (short and thin), which could lead to many health complications. We decided to move forward with IVF.
3.) IVF- The day before the egg retrieval, I was told that my numbers that day were extremely high and I was at risk for over stimulation. We went through with the egg retrieval in which 7 eggs were removed. They were fertilized and we ended up with 5 eggs. We were told that we should proceed with a frozen embryo transfer to avoid further health complications.
4.) Frozen embryo transfer- We transferred 2 eggs and I became pregnant with one embryo. We still have 3 left for future transfers.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Carole Kowalczyk.

My husband and I were lucky enough to have really good health insurance which covered a lot of the costs. The IUI's were $500.00 a piece. The most expensive thing that I paid for out of pocket was the IVF medications, which were between $4,000.00-$5,000.00.

10

Doctor

Carole Kowalczyk

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

10

Clinic

Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health

Warren

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

10

Age

28

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

Yes

Treatment

7 IUI, 1 IVF

Diagnosis

PCOS

10

Dr. K and the nursing staff [MI Ctr for Fert] are amazing to work with. In fertility is stressful, but they take away the added worry by being so punctual. They know their stuff. Another great thing Is everything is done in the office, bloodwork, retrievals, ultrasounds, HSG, etc....I loved, loved, loved, Dawn and Cathy! They were so informative, compassionate, and on time. They made me feel so comfortable.... We spent aprox. 15k (including meds). That included ultrasounds and tests.

Dr. K and the nursing staff are amazing to work with. In fertility is stressful, but they take away the added worry by being so punctual. They know their stuff. Another great thing Is everything is done in the office, bloodwork, retrievals, ultrasounds, HSG, etc.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

Dr. K was so personable. She took time to meet with my husband and I and answer all our questions. It was not a cookie-cutter treatment, all decisions were based up on what we needed. I truly feel like she's in it to make people's dreams come true, not just for the money.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

I loved, loved, loved, Dawn and Cathy! They were so informative, compassionate, and on time. They made me feel so comfortable.

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

Dr. K was amazing right from the get-go. I did 8 IUIs with another clinic prior, after that did a consult with Another. I did not click with anybody like I did her. She gives you a feeling of hope and trust. She is confident, but not cocky. She is compassionate and great at what she does. She spent over an hour with my husband and I at our consult because I came with a notebook full of questions.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carole Kowalczyk?

When I hit my low of dealing with infertility, Dr. K gave me hope and in the end she made my dreams come true. I never knew if I would be able to be a baby, and I have 2! She knows what she's doing. This was her calling.

Describe the protocols Carole Kowalczyk used in your cycles and their degree of success.

I was prescribed Birth control pills to down regulate, Lupron, Low HCG, Gonal F to grow my follies, and PIO prior to retrieval. 9 eggs were retrieved, we opted for a freeze all cycle (per Dr. K's suggestion based upon my blood work). I don't remember off hand the protocol prior to my FET, but it did work! I continued PIO until 11 weeks gestation.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Carole Kowalczyk.

We spent aprox. 15k (including meds). That included ultrasounds and tests.

10

Doctor

Carole Kowalczyk

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

10

Clinic

Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health

Warren

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

9

Age

36

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

Yes

Treatment

2 IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm

Diagnosis

Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Other

9

Everyone [at Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health] took the time to explain what was going on and what the next step would be. Always willing to answer questions and listen...Calm quite atmosphere always felt comfortable for me and my husband when we went in. Hours were very accommodating for work early morning and late night. Very short wait times usually. Wide variety of insurances accepted and help with meds if needed

Calm quite atmosphere always felt comfortable for me and my husband when we went in. Hours were very accommodating for work early morning and late night. Very short wait times usually. Wide variety of insurances accepted and help with meds if needed

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

I felt like a human the staff knew who you were and your situation the doctor was always willing to answer questions and allowed us to make the decisions but helped to guide us in the process.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

Everyone took the time to explain what was going on and what the next step would be. Always willing to answer questions and listen.

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

She helped us in every step of the way, we had seen another doctor with negative results and feeling and from the beginning she said she could do better and did. My husband needed sperm extracted and she was able to set that up in the office at the same time as my procedure. If results were not going as planned she changed the medication to see a more positive result.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carole Kowalczyk?

Go in with an open mind and be up front about everything going on and other experiences they had. She can’t help if you don’t tell the whole story.

Describe the protocols Carole Kowalczyk used in your cycles and their degree of success.

I don’t remember exactly I know we did not use the standard protocol of Lupron and gonal-f. She changed things up since I had a slightly high fsh.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Carole Kowalczyk.

We spent about 12k with insurance covering part of the testing

9

Doctor

Carole Kowalczyk

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

9

Clinic

Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health

Warren

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

9

Age

36

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

Yes

Treatment

2 IVF

Diagnosis

Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor

9

Everyone [at Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health] was very helpful from appointments to billing. The biller sat down with us and explained the cost and coverage and helped with any questions we had along the way as why something was or was not covered...Everyone was willing to answer any questions and explain why things happen in the order that they did. Why certain blood tests and ultrasounds were needed

Everyone was very helpful from appointments to billing. The biller sat down with us and explained the cost and coverage and helped with any questions we had along the way as why something was or was not covered

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

The doc took the time to explain thing as did the staff. They knew who you were when you came to your appointments and if you had questions they were answered. If you needed to speak to the doc and she was not available there would be a follow up call.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

Everyone was willing to answer any questions and explain why things happen in the order that they did. Why certain blood tests and ultrasounds were needed

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

Me and my husband cake to the office after a bad experience with another doc. Dr. Kowalczyk reviewed our chart and said she could do better and she was able to. We already knew our only option was ivf based on both of our factors so she did not push us to try other options prior to starting the process.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carole Kowalczyk?

Go with an open mind. The office may feel a little different than many it’s more calm and friendly and there are many different support groups and thing to help aid in the process.

Describe the protocols Carole Kowalczyk used in your cycles and their degree of success.

I do not remember I know we used a different protocol than previously and things were switched around during the process to taylor the treatment to me and how my body was responding

Describe the costs associated with your care under Carole Kowalczyk.

We paid approximately 12,000 including sperm removal from my husband

9

Doctor

Carole Kowalczyk

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

9

Clinic

Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health

Warren

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

1

Age

38

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

No

Treatment

4 IUI

Diagnosis

Unexplained

1

their [Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health] Lake Orion location didn’t offer many services when we were there as it was newer. I believe these clinics would be better suited to IVF patients versus IUI patients...When we scheduled our initial appointment we knew it was to be with the nurse practitioner. ...we never actually met the doctor [Dr. Kowalczyk]. We were initially handled by the nurse practitioner, then nurses only. While everyone was nice I didn’t feel important to the doctor.

Liked that there were 2 locations. However their Lake Orion location didn’t offer many services when we were there as it was newer.
I believe these clinics would be better suited to IVF patients versus IUI patients.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

I was a patient for all of 2016, did 4 iui’s (5 planned but one didn’t happen because I ovulated early), and we never actually met the doctor. We were initially handled by the nurse practitioner, then nurses only. While everyone was nice I didn’t feel important to the doctor.

What specific things went wrong at this clinic?

Failed to call with results

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

In the almost 9-12 months we were at the practice we never even met Dr. Kowalczyk. When we scheduled our initial appointment we knew it was to be with the nurse practitioner. But assumed sometime before the iui we’d actually get to meet our doctor. I also thought the doctor would at least be present for the initial iui, that was not the case.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carole Kowalczyk?

Be ready to not meet the doctor

1

Doctor

Carole Kowalczyk

Adaptability

1

Clinic

Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health

Warren

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

9

Age

—

Treated

—

Success with this Doc

?

Treatment

3 IUI, 2 IVF, 2 Embryo Freezing (cancer)

Diagnosis

Endometriosis, Male Factor

9

Strength [at Michigan Center for Fertility and Women's Health]-great staff, qualified and compassionate. The clinic offers group therapy, nutrition, accupunture, massage. Weakness-its a large practice, that is not always a weakness but because of that you don't see the Dr as often for scans and bloodwork...Nursing staff is great, they always get back to you usually the same day to answer questions or go over results.

Strength-great staff, qualified and compassionate. The clinic offers group therapy, nutrition, accupunture, massage.
Weakness-its a large practice, that is not always a weakness but because of that you don't see the Dr as often for scans and bloodwork.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

I started seeing Dr. K after my doctor (that she had worked with) passed away. She was very sympathetic of our situation, infertility due to my husband's cancer treatment.

Describe your experience with your nurse.

Nursing staff is great, they always get back to you usually the same day to answer questions or go over results.

How was your experience with Carole Kowalczyk?

Very educated, very good communicator, very compassionate. Only thing I would change is I don't see her as often as I would like, she took over a practice for my previous doctor who passed away, so she is very busy.